"Had they had screening at 50, like they do in Scotland… I would have been screened at least three times and possibly four by the time I was 58 and this would have been caught at the stage of a little polyp: snip, snip."

The presenter is now supporting a campaign by Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer to make cancer screening available to everyone in England from the age of 50.

"We know that if you catch bowel cancer early, survival rates are tremendous," he said.

What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

Alagiah found out he had bowel cancer in 2014 after complaining of blood in his stools.

He then underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy and five operations to treat the disease in 2014, which had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.

He is now undergoing treatment again, having just had another round of chemotherapy and preparing in case doctors want to operate.

"If the surgeon has to go into me for a sixth time, he knows this is a guy who has been on the exercise bike, who has done his weights, who has eaten well, who has got himself into shape, so that they have the best chance," Alagiah added.